A Different Kind Of Love
by RaeAngel
Summary: After moving to a different city, Willow meets Willard and falls in love with him. But can she put her dark emotions over her actions in Sunnydale aside to help Willard when he needs her? A BuffyWillard x-over.
1. First Meetings

Disclaimer: _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _belongs to Joss Wheldon and _Willard _belongs to the wickedly amazing James Wong and Glen Morgan (of _X-Files_ fame). The songs in this story belong to the songwriters who wrote these amazing songs. Please don't sue me, I'm completely and utterly broke and it's for entertainment purposes only.

Timeline: post season 6, _Buffy_, during the movie _Willard_.

Rating: PG-13 for violence, swearing and some sexual content (some chapters will be rated R)

Catgories: Romance/Mystery/Horror

Main Character(s): Willow, Willard

Pairing(s): Willow/Tara, Willow/Willard, Buffy/Spike, Xander/Anya

Author's Note: This is an alternate story for both _BtVS _and _Willard_. I didn't like how the movie ended so I decided to try to cross _Willard _over with _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ to add more of a supernatural flare. In the _Buffy _universe, Willow didn't go to England, she went to a town to recover from her murderous rampage. In the _Willard _universe, the end of the movie never happened, the white rat never got killed and Willard never got sent to a mental hosptial. Just thought I'd give a few spoilers. This story is also based on the song _Numb _by Linkin Park. Anyway, enjoy this story in time for Halloween.

Summary: After her murderous rampage in Sunnydale, Willow moves to a town to start over. While applying for a job at a local shipping company, she meets Willard Stiles, one of the employees at the company. After sticking up for him after he was embarassed by his boss, Willow befriends him and later falls in love with him. But a horrible secret about Willard threatens to shatter Willow's already shattered soul and break her heart. Will she be able put aside her grief over her actions in Sunnydale and the death of Tara to help Willard gain control over his ability to manpulate rats with his mind before it costs Willard his mind and cause Willow once again to fall back to the dark side?

A Different Kind Of Love

By RaeAngel

**June 23, 2002 **

**Brooklyn, New York**

Willow Rosenburg stood in the elevator heading up to the offices of Martin/Stiles shipping company. Ever since she moved to Boston, she had been looking in close to a hundred places for jobs and so far none had been forthcoming. So after hearing that the company was looking for a new secretary, she decided to apply for it. To Giles, moving to Boston was a chance to start over after her horrible experience in Sunnydale. She had killed two men out of revenge and nearly destroyed the world in the process all over the death of her girlfriend Tara. Not wanting to think about it, Willow pushed the thoughts of her mind and focused on getting a job. When the elevator reached it's destination and it's doors opened moments later, she walked out of and headed to her destination.

_This place is a little gloomy looking. _Willow thought as she glanced at the office and it's employees. She went to the first desk in front of her and cleared her throat. The woman who was sitting in the desk looked up at her.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked.

"My name is Willow Rosenburg." Willow said. "I have an appointment with Mr. Martin regarding the secretary job."

The woman smiled slightly. "Oh, of course. I'll tell him that you're here." She went out of her desk and knocked on the door of the office a few feet away. Willow glanced at the employees and saw that neither of them looked very happy to be there. That worried her.

_I wonder what Mr. Martin is like with his employees. _She thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by the woman's voice.

"Mr. Martin will see you now, Miss Rosenburg." She said.

Willow nodded her thanks and went into the office. The man sitting in the desk smiled at her when she entered.

"Miss Rosenburg, it's nice to finally meet you in person." he said. "Have a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Martin." Willow said politely. "I'm pleased to meet you." She then handed him her resume. It took him a few minutes to go through it and then he looked up at Willow.

"Well, according to your resume, you are extremely good with computers and word-processing which is excatly what I need in a secretary."

Willow paused before speaking. "I worked on computers a lot when I was in high school." She said. "I also volunteered at lunchtime to answer phones and put messages through to the teachers."

Mr. Martin looked impressed. "That's impressive. Out of the sixty girls I've interviewed personally for this job, you seemed to be the only person who can make a good contribution to Martin/Stiles. Welcome aboard, Miss Rosenburg."

Willow couldn't believe her good luck. "I got the job?"

"What did you think I said?" Mr. Martin asked with an even stare.

Willow ignored the stare and got up. "Thank you so much. I'll start immediately." She said. "Today if you want me to."

"Of course." Mr. Martin said smiling. "Just sit at the last desk in the back and you can get started."

Willow opened the door to the office and went to the back and sat at the last desk not noticing the name plate that was in front of the desk. She couldn't believe her luck. _Oh, my God! I got a job! A real job! Oh, my God! I can't believe I pulled it off. _Willow was so lost into thought that she almost didn't hear a voice saying.

"Um, excuse me?"

Willow jumped slightly and looked up to see a tall young man standing in front of her. He looked handsome with dark brown hair and eyes and was wearing a black suit. He was carrying a bag and his coat under his arm. Frowning, Willow noticed the name plate in front of her on the desk and flipped it over. It said 'Willard Stiles'. Upon seeing the name, Willow felt her cheeks growing hot with embarassment. Then she glanced up at the young man.

"I'm so sorry." She said apologically. "I didn't know that this was your desk and I was told to sit here. I mean, I should've asked if there was anyone going to be sitting here and maybe if somebody mentioned that you were going to be here, I would've picked somewhere else to sit ..."

Willow could tell by the smiling glint in the young man's eyes that she was babbling and she stopped. Again, her cheeks grew hot with embarassment. He even had a brief smile on his handsome face, which to Willow, it was a good sign. Then the woman who escorted Willow to Mr. Martin's office came up to him with a glare.

"Mr. Martin wants to see you." she said.

The young man nodded and went to the office door and disappeared inside Mr. Martin's office. Willow sat back down and sighed. Curious about the young man, she got up, and tapped the shoulder of the woman at the next desk.

"Who is he?" Willow asked. "The man whose desk I'm sitting in."

"His name is Willard Stiles." Her fellow co-worker answered. "His father started this company a long time ago. Mr. Martin has known his family for a long tme. After his father died, he's been trying to take care of his mother and he's never had any friends not even as a chlid. I don't think I've met someone as sad and lonely as Willard."

_I don't think so either. _Willow thought feeling an ounce of sympathy for him. Then the sound of shouting interrupted her thoughts and she saw Willard walking out of the office with Mr. Martin walking after him yelling at him. Willow could feel both her sympathy for Willard and her anger building inside of her but she managed to keep her seething rage from boiling over. She moved out of his desk and sat in the desk in front of his. Willow jumped when Mr. Martin slammed the door of his office and she turned back to come face to face with Willard.

"Hi." She said "Remember me?"

Willard nodded. "You were sitting at my desk." He said.

"And for that, I'm sorry." Willow repeated. "Like I said, I had no idea that it was your desk." Noticing the sad look on Willard's face, she glanced at him sympathically and smiled a gentle, soft smile. He must've noticed her gentle smile because he suddenly had tears in his eyes. Seeing the tears in Willard's eyes, Willow surpressed a pang of sadness and pain that was threatening to overwhlem her. It took of all of her strength and self-restaint to keep from completely losing it in front of Willard and all of her other co-workers.

"Willow." She said softly.

"I'm sorry?" Willard asked.

"My name." Willow said. "That's my name, Willow."

"Willow." Willard repeated. "That's a pretty name." Willow blushed slightly.

"Thanks." She said. "Listen, Willard. If you ever want to talk, just say my name and I'll be willing to listen." Willow wrote her number down on a card and gave it to Willard.

"There's my phone number." She said. "Call me anytime. Night or day."

Willard took the card and smiled briefly at her as if to say 'thank you'. Willow smiled at him back as if to say 'you're welcome' and then she went to work on her new job.

**The next day ...**

Willow dashed out of the elevator and ran to the office of Martin/Stiles worried that she was late. She had woken up late and barely had enough time to shower or to eat breakfast. She also gotten a ride from Giles which helped her a lot and kept her from being even more late for work. She almost crashed into Mr. Martin as she was running to get to her desk.

"Mr. Martin, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"No, no. it's okay, Willow. Just don't run in the office that's all." He said.

"Am I late?" she asked worried.

Mr. Martin glanced at the clock. "No, you are on time." He said.

Willow breathed a sigh of relief and went to her desk. After answering a qiuck call, she turned to see that Willard's desk was empty. That indicated to her that he hadn't arrived yet. She glanced at the clock and found that he was twenty minutes late for work. Then she saw Martin come out of his office with a lock in his hand. Frowning, Willow got up from her desk and followed her boss to the elevator. She saw that someone was in the elevator. It was Willard. What happened next shocked and angered her. Martin placed the lock around the ring of the elevator lock and began shouting at him. Willow didn't pay attention to what Martin was shouting about and only focused on Willard. He looked very upset and almost angry. At that point, Martin didn't remove the lock and went back to his office slamming the door behind him.

Willow didn't return to her desk and instead went to the elevator. She glanced at Willard sympathically.

"Here, allow me." she said. Willow removed the lock and opened the door. Then she offered her hand out to him. Hesitant at first, Willard took her hand and held it as they walked together back to the office. Neither of them said anything as they went back to their own desks. Willow couldn't help but feeling sorry for Willard. She had only met him twenty-four hours ago but already she was feeling that they had some sort of a connection to each other. A connection that she couldn't explain not even to Giles. For the rest of the day, all Willow could think about was Willard. She even wondered if there was anything she could possibly do to get him smiling again.

I think what Willard really needs right now is a friend. Right now, I'm all that he's got as a friend. I mean, I extended my hand of friendship and he willingly took it. Well, almost willingly. He was a little hesitant at first. But he's very lonely and he needs it. What can I do to get him to trust me more than he does now?

I know this is not how I would start my stories so please bear with me. Chapter 2 will be up soon!!!


	2. Meeting Socrates & First Kiss

Disclaimer: _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _belongs to Joss Wheldon and _Willard _belongs to the wickedly amazing James Wong and Glen Morgan (of _X-Files_ fame). The songs in this story belong to the songwriters who wrote these amazing songs. Please don't sue me, I'm completely and utterly broke and it's for entertainment purposes only.

Timeline: post season 6, _Buffy_, during the movie _Willard_.

Rating: PG-13 for violence, swearing and some sexual content (some chapters will be rated R)

Categories: Romance/Mystery/Horror

Main Character(s): Willow, Willard

Pairing(s): Willow/Tara, Willow/Willard, Buffy/Spike, Xander/Anya

Summary: Willow had just gotten a job at a shipping company as a secretary and meets one of the employees, Willard Stiles after she was found sitting at his desk despite the fact that she was told to sit there by her new boss. The next day, she came to Willard's aid after he was locked out of work by his boss.

Despite the weariness she was feeling all from her day at work, Willow couldn't sleep. All she could think of was Willard. For some reason, she couldn't get him out of her mind. For the whole day, he hadn't said a word to her except to wish her good night as he left work hours later. Despite the uneasiness she was feeling, she was very sympathic and pitiful toward Willard because he was what she was during high school. A social misfit whose life seemed hopeless. He was trapped in a dead-end job with no friends or future and what happened today proved it to Willow. As she closed her eyes to try to sleep, she made a silent vow.

_I'm going to try to be friends with Willard. Be his rock when he needs support. Because right now, he needs someone whose willing to listen to him and whose willing to be a shoulder for him to cry on. That's my silent vow. _

**The following morning ...**

Willow sat at her desk writing down a message that she had just taken for Mr. Martin. For the second time in an hour, she glanced up at the clock. It read 9:15 am.

_Where the hell is Willard? Is he always this late for work? _She thought worriedly. Her question was answered ten minutes later when she saw Willard enter the office. Unfortunately for him, Martin had come out of his office and again began shouting at him.

"One week!" Martin bellowed. "You were late for so many hours that it equals an entire week!"

"Mr. Martin, I-I'm sorry." Willard said quietly.

"I want my week back!" Martin continued. "I've discussed it with council. I may not be able to fire you, Willard but by God, I have the rights to administer a physical discipmenary reprimand!!"

_Poor Willard! _Willow thought as she listened to the conversation. Again, her temper began to flare.

"Mr. Martin, I know that you tired of this excuse." Willard said in a long-suffering voice. "But what can I do? My mother is sick ..."

"You don't give a shit about your mother!!" Martin shouted. "If you did, you would be at work on time!"

Before she knew what she was doing, Willow stood up angrily. "Hey!!" she shouted. "You don't have to be such an asshole to Willard just because he was late for work!"

Willard stared wide-eyed at Willow. Out of all the employees, no one had stood up to Martin because they were afraid to. But upon meeting her, Willard knew that Willow was different from the other employees. She was sweet, kind, caring, honest and had an attitude that could be mean trouble if someone made her angry.

Martin was furious. "You listen to me ..."

"No, you listen to me, you son of bitch!" Willow shouted louder this time. "For the three days, I've worked here, I've seen how you've been treating Willard and I have just one word to say about it. Disgusting! It's disgusting how you treat him and everyone else here. Willard is a sweet, gentle man and you have been treating him like a piece of shit. That's wrong, totally wrong!"

Martin, now angrier, was about to say something but Willow cut him off. "Don't even think about firing me over this. You do and I'll go to the press. I'm pretty sure they will be very happy to know about this and get your ass fired. Now, if you would excuse me, I have a job to do."

Willow went back to her place at her desk and continued her work. She didn't dare to look up at Martin who went to his office and slammed the door in a rage. Everyone in the office including Willard continued to stare at her in shock and amazement. No one had dared to challenge Martin especially when it concerned Willard. It was oblivious now to everyone to watch out or she would tell off anyone who made her mad. Wanting to thank her, Willard went to Willow's desk and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked around and smiled when she saw that it was him.

**"**Hey, Willard." Willow said. "What's up?"

Willard hesitated before he spoke. "I-I wanted to say thank you." he said.

"You're welcome." Willow replied. "I figured you needed someone to stand up for you and to come to your defense. Especially when you're dealing with an asshole like Martin."

"And you looked like that you needed some help." She added.

Willard smiled at her briefly. "No one here would've dared to challenge Mr. Martin," he said. "Nor would they would've come to my defense like you did."

"If this was back in high school," Willow said. "I would've been like everyone else and be too scared of getting my ass kicked to say anything."

"I don't think so." Willard said. "I think you would've done the same thing if you were still in school."

Willow laughed. "I was a shy, bookish geek when I was in high school." She said. "I was too shy to even make speeches in my English class."

The conversation between Willard and Willow continued throughout the whole day and to Willard, it made his day better. He had only known her for only three days but already he was starting to like her a lot. She was beautiful, kind, gentle and caring. She was becoming another friend. His first human friend in his entire life.

_Just like Socrates. _He thought thinking of his rat friend. _He would like her if I show her to him. _

For the entire day, Willard waited for day to turn to night and for Mr. Martin and everyone else to head on home. After everyone else except he and Willow had gone home, Willard glanced at her.

"There's someone I want you to meet." He said to her.

Willow fought to hide her confusion. "Yeah?" she said. Willard nodded, opened the drawer and took something out of it. On his hand was a small white rat. Willow almost recoiled in shock but controlled herself.

"Willow, I would like you to meet Socrates." Willard said. "Socrates, meet Willow."

Willard went to place Socrates on Willow's shoulder but she backed away uncomfortably.

"It's okay, he won't hurt you." he said.

Hesitant, Willow stepped forward and allowed Willard to place the rat on her shoulder. Socrates crawled down her arm tickling her. Willow laughed and tried to grab him but she was having trouble because the rat was tickling her so much that it was making her laugh.

Willard laughed briefly. "I think he likes you." he said.

Willow was laughing so hard that she couldn't speak. "I-I-I th-think so." She said. Finally, she managed to grab Socrates and held him in her hands gently.

"Usually, I'm not fond of rats." Willow said. "But in this case, I think I'll become fond of this one. Cute little thing. How do you find him, Willard?"

Willard went on to explain to her about how he was trying to get rid of the rats in his basement and how he found the little white rat caught on one of the traps he put down. When he finished, Willow smiled at him.

"I think this will be our little secret, Willard." She said.

At that point, Socrates gave Willow an affectionate nip on her nose. Willow couldn't help but laugh and she stroked the little rat's fur with one finger. Willard went to her side and did the same gesture. Then Willow glanced at the clock. It read 10:30 pm.

"Oh, no!" she groaned. "I have to go. I have to get up very early tomorrow." She handed Socrates back to Willard and went to grab her bag.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Willard." Willow said.

"See you tomorrow, Willow." Willard shouted after her as she rushed to get back home.

**One month later ...**

_When you love someone_

_You'd do anything_

_You'd do all the crazy things_

_That you can't explain_

_You'd shoot the moon, put out the sun_

_When you love someone_

"Willow! You're going to be late for work!" Giles shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Willow groaned for the fifth time in a row. She had slept in and now was rushing to get to work on time. She tied her hair in a tight bun at the back of her head and checked her outfit for any tears and stains. Once she found none, she put some makeup on and then ran down the stairs to the kitchen to grab her lunch. Once she had her lunch, she was out the door after a rather hasty goodbye to Giles. Within an hour, she got to the office. Once she was inside, she glanced at the clock and groaned. It read 9:20 am. Martin stood in her way looking not too happy.

"You're late, Miss Rosenburg." He said pointing at the clock.

"I know, Mr. Martin. I'm sorry, I overslept." Willow explained. "It won't happen again."

Martin stared at her. "All right, good. Make sure it doesn't happen again." He said and went back to his office. Willow went to her desk, took a few calls, then turned around to face Willard's desk and to her surprise, she saw that he hadn't arrived yet.

_Willard's usually here by 9:20 am, something must've happened. _

Willow went to the desk in front of her and tapped on her co-worker's shoulder. The woman sitting at the desk turned to Willow.

"Hey, Cathryn, have you heard anything from Willard?" Willow asked.

Cathryn shook her head. "No, I haven't." She said. "I'm sorry, Willow."

Willow now looked worried. "Do you happen to have his address?" she asked. Cathryn nodded and gave Willow a piece of paper with Willard's address on it.

"Listen, Cat, can you cover for me for a couple of hours?" Willow asked.

"If it's concerning Willard, sure I'll cover for you." Cathryn replied.

Willow grinned at her. "Thanks, Cat." She said. Then before Martin could catch her, she took off to her car. Once there, she drove all the way to the Stiles house. Her heart gave a horrible jolt when she saw a coroner's van parked outside of the house. She parked her car across the street and then ran toward the house not caring who saw her.

"Willard!" Willow shouted. Her voice filled with worry. She stopped at the doorway to see two paramedics push a stretcher toward the door. Then she peeked in to see Willard standing at the stairs filling out paperwork. He looked and saw her with a surprised and slightly shocked look on his face. Relieved, Willow went inside and stood before him.

"Willow." He said. "What are you doing here? How did you ...?"

"You weren't at work and I got worried because no-one hadn't heard from you." Willow explained. "I got your address from Cat at work." She then began to put voice to her question.

"Who was ...?

"It was my mother." Willard said quietly.

_So that's why Willard didn't come to work today. _Willow thought feeling sorry for him.

"Willard, I'm so sorry." She said.

Willard nodded his thanks and went to sit at the stairs. Willow joined him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Then she felt something crawl onto her lap and she looked down to see that it was Socrates.

"Hey, Socrates." She whispered and stroked the rat's fur gently. The small rat gave her an affectionate nip on her fingertip before crawling over to Willard. He held him in his hands.

"She was my mother." He said softly. "I love her. I will miss her."

Willard glanced at Willow as he said his next words. "I already miss her." She glanced at him with sympathy and took his hand.

"Socrates, Willow." He said. "If one of you ever died ..."

"I know, Willard." Willow said and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close. His head resting against her chest.

"You are the only friends I ever have." Willard said close to tears.

Willow, for a moment, couldn't speak then she said. "Thank you for thinking of me as a friend, Willard. Because you earned it and you deserved a friend even if that someone is me or Socrates."

Then she lowered her head slightly and planted a gentle kiss on Willard's forehead. At her gentle touch, he began to cry softly and buried his face into her chest. Willow held him tightly in her arms and finally allowed the tears she had fighting back to run down her cheeks.

_Oh, Willard. _

**Five days later ...**

_You'll deny the truth, believe a lie_

_There will be times that you believe_

_You could really fly_

_But your lonely nights have just begun_

_When you love someone_

Willow entered the small chapel where the funeral for Willard's mother had taken place earlier. After the funeral, she had to call Giles to let him know that she was going to stay with Willard for a while before returning back to the house. As she entered, she saw Willard bent forward toward the casket that held the body of his mother and planted a kiss on the forehead. Then she heard him speak.

"Well, at least you're with Father again."

Suddenly wanting to be at his side, Willow went to stand beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. She saw that one of the pockets of his suit looked stuffed which indicated to her that he must've brought Socrates with him.

Willard spoke again this time in a voice filled with emotion. "I-I have a couple of friends." Willow's suspicions were confirmed when he reached into his pocket and took out the little white rat.

"See?" He said. "They want to say goodbye to you."

Willow whispered some words in prayer before moving closer to the casket. She saw that Willard held Socrates closer to his mother's face and whispered. "Say goodbye, Socrates."

_Be at peace. _Willow prayed silently as she moved to put an arm around Willard's shoulders as they shook with sobs. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she realized that she had feelings for Willard. For a month, she knew that her feelings for him had grown beyond friendship and into love. She knew that ever since she came to work at Martin/Stiles, she had always kept an eye on Willard and maintained both a personal and professional relationship. Now she knew that her respect and liking to Willard had grown from what began as a simple silent vow to be his friend. As she guided Willard to a chair to sit down, Willow felt her soul growing heavy with sympathy and love. She kept her arm around his shoulders and looked at him.

"Willard," she said. "I just wanted to let you know that you can always come to me if you need a shoulder to cry on."

Willard couldn't say anything and he could only nod. Then Willow did something that she had never done since their first meeting a month ago, she placed a hand on his cheek in a way that was foreign to him. Willard didn't pull away but rather he placed his hand over hers. Then she leaned forward as if she was going to kiss him. Again, Willard didn't pull away but he didn't lean forward either. He sat still and closed his eyes and then he felt the pressure of her lips making contact with his in a kiss. As soon as it happened, Willard felt the pressure cease and he opened his eyes to see that Willow had a small smile and a glint of love lit up in her eyes. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him again with more passion than with the first kiss. This time, Willard kissed her back and didn't stop. The world around them crawled to a stop as they kissed with feverish passion and love.

For the first time, Willow and Willard both felt their passions going over them never noticing that Cathryn had arrived and was standing at the entrance of the chapel watching the whole scene with a smile on her face. She had always known that Willard liked Willow but suspected that he liked her more than as a friend. Now by watching them kiss, she knew that her suspicions had been realized.

_So the romance begins. _

Well, what do you think so far? The song in this chapter is _When You Love Someone _by Bryan Adams. Chapter 3 will be posted soon!


	3. Let There Be Love

Disclaimer: _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _belongs to Joss Wheldon and _Willard _belongs to the wickedly amazing James Wong and Glen Morgan (of _X-Files_ fame). The songs in this story belong to the songwriters who wrote these amazing songs. Please don't sue me, I'm completely and utterly broke and it's for entertainment purposes only.

Timeline: post season 6, _Buffy_, during the movie _Willard_.

Rating: PG-13 for violence, swearing and some sexual content (some chapters will be rated R)

Categories: Romance/Mystery/Horror

Main Character(s): Willow, Willard

Pairing(s): Willow/Tara, Willow/Willard, Buffy/Spike, Xander/Anya

Author's Note: A character from _Angel _is going to make an appearance in the next chapter. Oh, yeah, a deleted scene from the movie where Willard finds Socrates' mother is in this chapter. I was originally going to write this in the second chapter but later decided to write it in this chapter just to give a little bit more of an angst side to the story. Anyway, enjoy and please review!!

Summary: After she stood up to Martin for Willard, Willow is introduced to Socrates, his rat friend, to that she takes a liking for. One month later, Willow realized that she had found love again with Willard after his mother died and she attended her funeral. At the service, Willow and Willard shared their first kiss together unaware that one of their co-workers, Cathryn, witnessed their kiss.

As she drove to Willard's house to check on him, Willow thought back to the day of the funeral. It had been close to a week since that day when she shared her first kiss with him. Since Oz, Willard was the first man she kissed in nearly two years. For nearly a month, she wasn't sure if she had feelings for her fellow co-worker but that day made her realize that she had found love again. Not in a woman but a man and that man was Willard. Never in a million years did Willow had ever dreamed that she would fall in love again after Tara.

_I loved Tara so much and yet I feel the same when I'm around Willard. He makes me feel so happy when I'm with him. I only wish ... _

Willow shook the thoughts out of her mind and focused on the road. Then close to ten minutes later, she pulled over to the side of the road close to the gate of the Stiles house. Then she got out of the car, opened and closed the gate behind her, walked onto the porch and then knocked on the door.

"Willard?" Willow called. "It's Willow."

A few minutes later, Willard answered the door and smiled when he saw Willow standing on the front porch.

"Hi." He said still smiling.

"Hi." Willow replied returning his smile. "I just came to check on you to see if you were all right."

"You didn't have to do that." Willard said.

"I know but I wanted to anyway." Willow said. "How are you doing? Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I am." He replied. "It just feels ..."

"Awkward?" Willow asked finishing his sentence.

Willard nodded. "Yes." He replied. "It's awkward without her here but I have Socrates here so it's not so bad."

"Oh, speaking of which." Willow said suddenly remembering the little white rat. "Where is that cute little thing?"

Willard smiled at her words. "I think he's down in the basement. I'll go find him." He was about to close the door but stopped when Willow spoke.

"I'll come down with you," she said. "I don't have a thing with basements and I'm not afraid of rats. So I won't freak out on you if you have rats down there."

Willard was about to tell her no but decided against it when he saw the look in Willow's eyes. So he nodded and stepped aside to let her in. Together, they walked into the kitchen and then got to the door of the basement. Willard went forward and opened the door.

"Um, ladies first." He said.

Willow grinned at him and went down the stairs into the darkened basement with Willard close behind her. Even though, it was very dark and hard to see, she could tell that there were rats in the room just by feeling them crawl against her ankles. Then she saw that there was a lantern at the center of the room, which gave some light in the room. Then she turned to see two white rats a few feet away from the lantern. One of them, she recognized as Socrates and the other which was larger than him was lying lifeless on the floor.

Willard must've seen what Willow was looking at because he had whispered "Oh, no." then he walked toward them with Willow close behind him. He then went down cross-legged on the floor. Willow went down on her knees beside Willard.

"Is that ..." Willow asked.

"His mother." Willard whispered.

"Ohh." Willow felt sorry for the small white rat. "Poor thing."

Tears ran down Willard's face as he picked up Socrates. "Oh, Socrates." He whispered. "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay." He placed him inside his suit jacket. Then he picked up a black garbage bag and then placed it onto the floor. Willard picked up the lifeless body of his rat friend's mother and with Willow's help, wrapped it up with the black garbage bag whispering, "It's okay," to Socrates while doing so. Then he gently picked up the small white rat out of his jacket and held him close to his face. Willow laid a hand on Willard's shoulder with a gentle look in her eyes.

"She was a great mother, Socrates." Willard whispered. Then he kissed the rat twice and placed his head on Willow's shoulder with silent tears running down his cheeks. Willow planted a kiss on the top of his head and held him in her arms. For a long time, they remained this way before they went into the backyard to bury the body of Socrates' mother. Once that was over, Willow and Willard both sat in the living room silently not saying a word.

Willard couldn't help but stare at Willow. She was beautiful, kind, loving and caring and was perhaps one of the few people in his life who actually understood where he was coming from. Everytime, he was around her, he was happy and light-headed and he was sure that she felt the same for him. Willard had only known Willow for a month but in that short time, he felt the one emotion that he had never felt for anyone else besides his mother. It was love, intense love. Willard had never fallen in love before and really had no idea what love really was.

_Until Willow. _

_To really love a woman_

_To understand her_

_You gotta know her deep inside_

_Hear every thought, see every dream_

_And give her wings when she wants to fly_

_Then when you find yourself lying helpless _

_In her arms_

_You'd know you really love a woman_

Suddenly wanting to express his feelings to her, Willard reached out, took Willow's hand and then held it. She looked up at him then she smiled her beautiful smile at him. Willard returned her smile with tears in his eyes.

"Willow," he said.

"Yeah, Willard?" Willow replied.

"I..." Willard swallowed hard as he spoke his next words. "I-I love you."

To his surprise, Willow grinned at him knowingly. "I know, Willard. I've always known. You know what?"

"What?" he asked.

"I feel the same way." Willow replied. "I loved you since that day we met a month ago. You're a gentle man and you have a good heart. I think in a way, you needed who could love you for who you are."

"I just want to let you know, Willard that you have a place in my heart and that I love you more than you could possibly imagine." She added.

Crying now, Willard took Willow in her arms and sobbed happily on her shoulder. Willow held him tightly in her arms also crying happy tears. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and glanced at each other lovingly.

"Come on, let's dance." Willow said.

"I-I can't dance." Willard replied in a nervous voice.

Willow smiled at him. "Don't worry, I can't dance either." she said. She led Willard to a large spot in the living room and they held onto each other dancing around in circles slowly in tune to the music only they could hear.

_When you love a woman_

_Tell her that she's really wanted_

_When you love a woman_

_Tell her that she's the one_

_Cause she needs somebody_

_To tell her that it's gonna to last forever_

__

_So tell me, have you ever really_

_Really, really ever loved a woman_

Feeling intense joy and love, Willard held Willow tightly in his arms slowly dancing in circles with his eyes blinded by happy tears. For the first time in his entire life, he was at peace, happy and in love. Then he leaned forward and kissed Willow with intense passion and love. She kissed him back and for the next two minutes, they kissed with feverish passion, love and desire giving in to their love.

_To really love a woman_

_Let her hold you_

_Till you know how she needs to be touch_

_You gotta breathe her, really taste her_

_Till you can feel her in your blood_

_When you can see your unborn children_

_In her eyes_

_You'd know you really love a woman_

_Oh, Willow. Love me. Please love me. _

For the first time, Willard felt the hope of heaven sweeping over him. The hope of a future and of a different life with Willow at his side. In her eyes, he saw his future. A future where he would be with her till they grew old and die together. A future with children, a family and friends. A better future where the impossible became possible. As he reached for Willow's shirt to take it off, Willard felt the hope of a better tomorrow and a brighter future.

_When you love a woman_

_Tell her that she's really wanted_

_When you love a woman_

_Tell her that she's the one_

_Cause she needs somebody_

_To tell her that you'll always be together _

__

_So tell me, have you ever really_

_Really, really ever loved a woman_

__

_You gotta to give her some faith_

_Hold her tight_

_A little tenderness_

_You gotta to treat her right_

_She will be there for you_

_Taking good care of you_

_You really gotta love your woman_

"Willow." Willard whispered lovingly

"Yeah?" Willow replied.

"I want you." he replied.

"Willard, I love you so much." Willow replied. She took off his suit pants just as he was taking off her skirt. Once all of their clothes were taken off, they made love on the floor of the living room. Then they moved to Willard's bedroom where their lovemaking continued. It went on for nearly five hours before Willow fell asleep with her head on Willard's chest. He held her in his arms and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Willow," Willard whispered. "I will never let anyone harm you ever. I promise."

Willard repeated the words over and over again before he finally fell asleep with a smile on his face still holding his beloved Willow tightly and protectively in his arms.

_And when you find yourself lying helpless _

_In her arms_

_You'd know you really love a woman_

__

_When you love a woman_

_Tell her that she's really wanted_

_When you love a woman_

_Tell her that she's the one_

_Cause she needs somebody_

_To tell her that it's gonna to last forever_

__

_So tell me, have you ever really_

_Really, really ever loved a woman_

__

_Just tell me, have you ever really_

_Really, really ever loved a woman_

__

_Just tell me, have you ever really_

_Really, really ever loved a woman_

Well, what do you guys think? The song in this chapter was _Have You Really Loved A Woman _by Bryan Adams (another one of his songs I love personally!) Chapter 4 will be posted soon!!! Please review!!


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